T. A. Dwight Jones

Who was T. A. Dwight Jones?

Thomas Albert Dwight "Tad" Jones was an American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at Syracuse University and Yale University, compiling a career college football record of 69–24–6. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1958.

Jones quarterbacked Yale to 6–0 and 12–0 victories versus Harvard as a junior and senior, respectively, in 1906 and 1907. Yale finished with 9–0–1 records both years, and he was named an All-American both seasons. As head coach, Jones lead Yale football to a 5–3–1 record versus Harvard, and gave the most revered pregame pep talk in Yale athletic history before the Harvard–Yale game in 1923. Before the 1925 game, Jones intoned famously, "Gentlemen, you are about to play football against Harvard. Never again may you do something so important." That contest ended in a scoreless tie.